Episodes

It’s late April, and most seniors are getting ready to make their final choice and deposit at the college they’ll attend next fall. We’re covering all the next steps they need to be thinking about. Many students with top choice colleges feel like they should attend a summer program at that college. We’re also talking through the value of attending a college that participates in a consortium of some kind, from the Five Colleges in Massachusetts to the Claremont Schools in California.

Student athlete hoping for a scholarship? In honor of National Student Athlete Day on April 6, we have everything you need to know about athletic scholarships for college. In another story from our team, Vanessa Garrido will share her story of applying to college as the first generation daughter of immigrants. And for those students with access to Naviance through their high school, we’re offering tips on how to use it to its fullest potential.

For all the seniors celebrating their acceptances and making their final selection, there are a few unhappy with their results and contemplating a different path. If you are thinking about taking a gap year and reapplying, we have some suggestions for evaluating your options and deciding how best to move forward with this process. High school students choosing courses for the coming school year may be wondering if they should add AP or IB coursework to their schedules. We have thoughts! And fina...

Students have been warned about cleaning up their social media presence, but many don’t realize that some sites can be beneficial to high school and college students. Andrew Cohen, senior enterprise account executive for the education vertical at LinkedIn joins the show today to share how high school and college-bound students can best utilize and leverage LinkedIn during the college admissions process. In Office Hours, we’re answering your college finance and admissions questions.

Many families will take out loans to help pay for college. We’re exploring the good, bad, and ugly of parents borrowing money to fund this big expense. We’re also discussing sports academies and how to determine if this is the right choice for your student athlete. In Office Hours, we have tips on getting started on a preliminary college list.

Many students with top choice colleges feel like they should attend a summer program at that college. We’ll talk about the pros and cons of that decision and share our bottom line on this. We will also cover admitted student events: why you might want to attend and what to do while you’re there. We’re also unpacking Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF for short) and how to determine if you qualify, how to take advantage of the program, and how to avoid making mistakes that could disqualify you...

Regular decision results are coming out, and we can help! We have advice about how to decide and what to do if you are waitlisted. In honor of Women’s History Month, we’re discussing what makes a someone a good candidate for a women’s college. In Office Hours, we’re answering your college finance and admissions questions.

New York Times columnist Ron Lieber published The Price You Pay for College: An Entirely New Road Map for the Biggest Financial Decision Your Family Will Ever Make in early 2021. Our team is sharing their thoughts on the book in this episode.

What does it mean when your college of choice accepts you and then asks you to spend your first year in another country? We’ll share more about starting college abroad, from why these programs exist to what to expect to whether or not you can ask for a more traditional start on campus. In our final Financial Aid Awareness Month segment, we’re sharing more about what a financial aid officer actually does and how they can help you. Finally, with spring (and COVID on the wane), it’s college visit s...

Test optional policies driven by limited access to testing during the pandemic have made that part of the process more confusing, especially at colleges that rely heavily on grades and testing alone when making admissions decisions. Chris Lucier, former VP at University of Vermont and University of Delaware, joins the show to share his insight into the impact of test optional policies on applicants to public universities. In our second segment for Financial Aid Awareness month, we’re sharing how...

February is Financial Aid Awareness Month, and we’re celebrating by covering the basics of financial aid, from the definition to available options to funding sources. We’re also welcoming a guest to the show to share his journey from music major to SVP at IDW Publishing, offering some proof that you don’t have to study business in college to be successful in the business world. And finally, if you’ve hired a private counselor, we have some insight from a former school counselor on when and how t...

We regularly speak to students with an interest in the medical field and the different paths available to them. This week, a working nurse will join the show to discuss his journey to becoming a nurse and offer insight into his work. We’ll also be answering your college finance and admissions questions.

Today, we are fortunate to have former University of Chicago Dean of Admission, Ted O’Neill, offer a retrospective of his 30+ years serving in admissions. We will wrap up the show focusing on tax season, and we have information on education tax breaks—what they are and how to take advantage of them.

Did you know that you can ask for more merit money? Well you can, and we have some information about when and how to do this. We’re also looking at the myths that surround the SAT and ACT, and digging into what we mean when we talk about finding good fit colleges. Hint: my good fit and your good fit are highly unlikely to be one and the same.

2021 was the year when we were supposed to emerge from beneath the COVID cloud. It didn’t exactly pan out that way, but we did emerge! We’re sharing insight into what went well for our students in the college admissions process and how to think about your own process with those experiences in mind. On the paying for college front, we’re looking at income-driven repayment options and helping you decide if this could be a good path for you.

Is it too early to start thinking about the summer? Of course not! Early winter is the perfect time to think about what you want to do and where you want to do it—we have tips for getting started. We’re also answering college finance and admissions questions in our Office Hours segment.

Your applications are in. Now what?! We’ll tell you! As the New Year approaches, and with it, resolutions, we’re offering some suggestions for you to consider on both the admissions and personal finance front. Start the New Year with some new goals in place.

Graduates with student loans need to prepare: the CARES Act and loan payment accommodations are scheduled to come to an end early in the new year. We’re sharing what you need to know and do next. Some students will return home from their first semester in college ready to transfer. We have advice on how to handle those conversations, including the questions to ask and the actions to take. Finally, many, many well-meaning family and friends will have questions, thoughts, and advice on your colleg...

As colleges offering Early Decision and Early Action deadlines start rolling out their decisions, students will soon have to act on those decisions. We have next steps for everyone getting acceptances, deferrals, and denials in early rounds. For those in school already, your spring tuition bill is coming. If you’re not sure how you’re going to pay it, we have advice covering it using tuition payment plans and loans. For those juniors about to embark on the process, we have tips on how to maximiz...

Last year was a whole new world for college admissions, both for admissions officers and for the applicants and their families. One of our educators shares her experiences as an admissions officer that cycle, including how they viewed the impact on coursework and extracurricular activities, and offers tips for approaching applications this year. We’re also answering your college finance and admissions questions in Office Hours.

Historically, having multiple children in college at the same time has meant more financial aid eligibility. That may change with the new FAFSA changes coming in the next few years. We’ll explain what that means for you. In another in our series on stories from our team, Lauren Randle will share the role internships played in her college career. And in Office Hours, we’re offering guidance on finalizing your list of colleges for regular decision.

If you’ve taken out any student loans, you may recently have received notice that your student loan servicer is changing. We’ll explain what a student loan servicer is and why they’re making changes. If you haven’t yet started your college essay, we have tips to get you writing and editing this in time for regular decisions deadlines. Finally, if your student isn’t interested in applying to college right now, it might be time to consider a gap year. We’ll talk through how to think about that opt...

Any seniors out there just getting started on the college process? We have advice on what to do now in terms of applying to college and paying for it. We’re also walking you through the supplemental essays required by USC as part of their application.

Applying to Villanova? They have two required supplemental essays, one that everyone writes and then a choice from a list of five prompts. We have advice on how to approach each of them. In Office Hours, we’re answering your college admissions and finance questions.